Turbomachines, for example, gas turbines and/or steam turbines, operate at high temperatures and pressures, which can cause materials in those turbomachines to degrade, and in some cases, fail. In some turbomachines, e.g., gas turbines, components are maintained (e.g., treated and/or repaired) using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process. HIP is a manufacturing process sometimes used to reduce the porosity of a metal (and increase the density of ceramic materials). HIP can improve a material's mechanical properties and workability. HIP involves subjecting a component to an increased temperature and isostatic gas pressure in a high-pressure containment vessel, e.g., using an inert gas.
In some turbomachines, HIP is used to maintain (e.g., treat and/or repair) components such as nozzles and buckets. It may be beneficial to determine the effectiveness of the HIP process on the component. Conventionally, in order to determine the effectiveness of the HIP process on the component, destructive testing is used to determine the creep void or porosity of the component before and after the HIP process. This destructive testing can be expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, in some cases, the destructive testing can require sending the component to an external vendor, which can cause delays and concerns regarding control over technology.